Paper sheet taking-out and separating device and paper sheet handling apparatus

ABSTRACT

A paper sheet taking-out and separating device according to an embodiment includes a first take-out part, a guide part, a second take-out part and a separation part. The first take-out part takes, by suction, a forefront paper sheet out of a plurality of stacked paper sheets and sends out the paper sheet toward a sending-out direction. The guide part guides the sending out of the paper sheet by the first take-out part. The second take-out part sucks the paper sheet sent out by the first take-out part and sends out the paper sheet toward the sending-out direction. The separation part separates a plurality of the paper sheets sent out in an overlapping manner by the first take-out part. The first take-out part and the second take-out part are positioned spaced apart from each other on opposite sides of the guide part with a predetermined distance therebetween in the sending-out direction.

CROSS-REFERENCE RELATED TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/615,604 filed on Feb. 6, 2015, which is based upon and claims thebenefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No.2014-022173, filed on Feb. 7, 2014, the entire contents of both of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a paper sheettaking-out and separating device and a paper sheet handling apparatus.

BACKGROUND

A paper sheet taking-out and separating device has been known whichincludes a take-out part sucking and sending out a paper sheet bymovement of a take-out belt having a suction hole and a separation partprovided on the opposite side of a paper sheet to be sent out by thetake-out part from the take-out part for separating two sheets sent outin an overlapping manner.

The paper sheet taking-out and separating device unfortunately causesconveyance problems such as jam if a paper sheet buckles between thetake-out part and the separation part when, for example, the paper sheetis soft or the separating action of the separation part is strong.Accordingly, a paper sheet taking-out and separating device is desiredto prevent buckling of a paper sheet and conveyance problems whileappropriately preventing sending out two paper sheets in an overlappingmanner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a paper sheethandling apparatus according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of a paper sheettaking-out and separating device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a partial configuration of thepaper sheet taking-out and separating device according to theembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a plurality of paper sheets placedat a supply part of the paper sheet taking-out and separating deviceaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a valve unitof the paper sheet taking-out and separating device according to theembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a body blockof the valve unit of the paper sheet taking-out and separating deviceaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a valve memberof the valve unit of the paper sheet taking-out and separating deviceaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cutaway, cross-sectional view showing the body block in thevalve unit of the paper sheet taking-out and separating device accordingto the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a double feedprevention block of the paper sheet taking-out and separating deviceaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an exemplary case where a first take-outpart and a second take-out part of the paper sheet taking-out andseparating device according to the embodiment switch from an on state toan off state.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a partial configuration of a papersheet taking-out and separating device according to a first modificationof the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a body blockin a valve unit of the paper sheet taking-out and separating deviceaccording to the first modification of the embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

A paper sheet taking-out and separating device according to anembodiment includes a first take-out part, a guide part, a secondtake-out part and a separation part. The first take-out part takes, bysuction, a forefront paper sheet out of a plurality of stacked papersheets and sends out the paper sheet toward a sending-out direction. Theguide part is provided on a downstream side of the first take-out partin the sending-out direction and guides the sending out of the papersheet by the first take-out part. The second take-out part is providedon the downstream side of the guide part in the sending-out directionand the second take-out part sucks the paper sheet sent out by the firsttake-out part and sends out the paper sheet toward the sending-outdirection. The separation part is provided on the downstream side of theguide part in the sending-out direction and the separation partseparates a plurality of the paper sheets sent out in an overlappingmanner by the first take-out part. The first take-out part and thesecond take-out part are positioned spaced apart from each other onopposite sides of the guide part with a predetermined distancetherebetween in the sending-out direction.

Hereinafter, a paper sheet taking-out and separating device and a papersheet handling apparatus of an embodiment will be described withreference to the drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a paper sheet handling apparatus 1 of the embodimentincludes a control part 1 a, a supply part 2, a take-out and separationpart 3, a main conveyance passage 4, an examination part 5, a conveyancesorting part 6, gap correction parts 7, and a classification box 8. Thecontrol part 1 a totally controls the operation of the paper sheethandling apparatus 1. The supply part 2 holds a plurality of stackedpaper sheets such as letters in an upright position where the sheets areerected substantially perpendicular to a horizontal plane and moves thesheets in the stacking direction. Thus, the supply part 2 supplies aplurality of paper sheets at the front end side in the stackingdirection to the take-out and separation part 3. The take-out andseparation part 3 sucks and takes a paper sheet at the forefront in thestacking direction out of the paper sheets supplied by the supply part 2and sends out the taken out paper sheet to the main conveyance passage4. The examination part 5 reads classification information provided onthe paper sheet. The conveyance sorting part 6 sorts paper sheets intovertically provided four conveyance passages.

The gap correction parts 7 are each provided immediately after thetake-out and separation part 3, on an upstream portion of the conveyancesorting part 6, and immediately after the conveyance sorting part 6. Thegap correction parts 7 correct an interval (gap) between any two papersheets adjacent one behind the other in the conveyance direction so thatthe interval falls within a predetermined interval. The classificationbox 8 has four levels in a vertical direction. The classification box 8accumulates paper sheets conveyed by the main conveyance passage 4 andthe conveyance sorting part 6 as the sheets are classified according totheir classification information.

The paper sheet taking-out and separating device 10 includes the supplypart 2, the take-out and separation part 3, and the main conveyancepassage 4. FIG. 2 is a plan view from above of the paper sheettaking-out and separating device 10. FIG. 3 is a perspective viewshowing a portion of the paper sheet taking-out and separating device10. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the supply part 2 includes a flat bottomwall 21 a, a guide wall 21 b provided to rise substantially verticallyfrom the bottom wall 21 a. A plurality of stacked paper sheets areplaced on the bottom wall 21 a in the upright position at the supplypart 2. Also, the supply part 2 holds the paper sheets stacked in asupply direction A toward the take-out and separation part 3. The supplypart 2 guides the movement of the paper sheets moving toward the supplydirection A with the guide wall 21 b contacting each end of the papersheets.

The supply part 2 includes a main belt 22 a and a sub-belt 22 b whichare provided on the bottom wall 21 a, and a back-up plate 23 which movestoward the supply direction A on the bottom wall 21 a. The main belt 22a and the sub-belt 22 b contact each end of the paper sheets placed onthe bottom wall 21 a and are separately driven toward the supplydirection A. As a result, the main belt 22 a moves the paper sheetsplaced on the bottom wall 21 a toward the supply direction A and thesub-belt 22 b adjusts the attitude of each of the paper sheets. Theback-up plate 23 contacts a paper sheet at the rearmost in the supplydirection A among the stacked paper sheets and moves synchronously withthe driving of the main belt 22 a, pushing the paper sheets toward thesupply direction A. As a result, the back-up plate 23 moves the papersheets placed on the bottom wall 21 a toward the supply direction A.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the paper sheet taking-out and separating device10 of the embodiment, the bottom wall 21 a of the supply part 2 forms ahorizontal plane and the guide wall 21 b forms a vertical planeorthogonal to the horizontal plane. Each paper sheet with a rectangularsurface is supported at a long side downward in the vertical directionby a surface of the bottom wall 21 a forming the horizontal plane. Eachpaper sheet is placed with the long sides in parallel with a horizontaldirection and with the short side toward a sending-out direction B ofthe take-out and separation part 3 to be described later abutting theguide wall 21 b. As a result, the paper sheets are placed at the supplypart 2 with their long sides downward in the vertical direction alignedby the bottom wall 21 a and with their short sides toward thesending-out direction B (namely, ends in the sending-out direction B)aligned by the guide wall 21 b.

The take-out and separation part 3 includes an auxiliary take-out part31, a main take-out part 32, and a separation part 33. The auxiliarytake-out part 31 is positioned on the upstream side of the main take-outpart 32 in the sending-out direction B parallel with the horizontaldirection. The auxiliary take-out part 31 includes a sub air chamber 31a connected to a negative pressure generator (not shown, the suctionside of a blower, for example) and a suction belt 31 b driven by a drivemotor (not shown, a step motor, for example). The sub air chamber 31 ais provided with an auxiliary guide plate 31 d having a plurality ofopenings 31 c facing the supply part 2. The auxiliary guide plate 31 dis formed in a rectangular plate shape and allows the openings 31 c tocommunicate with the inside of the sub air chamber 31 a. As a result, anegative pressure (a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure) isapplied to the openings 31 c of the auxiliary guide plate 31 d. Theauxiliary guide plate 31 d guides the movement of the suction belt 31 btoward the sending-out direction B.

The suction belt 31 b is an endless belt with a plurality of suctionholes 31 e and positioned such that at least a partial region of thebelt 31 b overlaps a portion of the auxiliary guide plate 31 d. Thesuction holes 31 e of the suction belt 31 b communicate with at leastportion of the openings 31 c of the auxiliary guide plate 31 d at theregion where the suction belt 31 b overlaps the auxiliary guide plate 31d. As a result, a negative pressure is applied to the suction holes 31 eof the suction belt 31 b by the sub air chamber 31 a through theopenings 31 c. The suction belt 31 b is opposed at the regionoverlapping the auxiliary guide plate 31 d to the paper sheets held bythe supply part 2 in the supply direction A and moves toward thesending-out direction B. Thus, when a negative pressure is applied tothe suction holes 31 e, the suction belt 31 b takes, by suction, a papersheet at the forefront in the supply direction A out of a plurality ofpaper sheets supplied by the supply part 2. Then, the suction belt 31 bsends out the paper sheet taken out by suction toward the sending-outdirection B at a predetermined speed.

It is to be noted that the predetermined speed of the suction belt 31 bis made slower than the speed of a take-out belt 43 to be describedlater. As a result, the auxiliary take-out part 31 takes, by suction, afirst paper sheet out of the supply part 2 and sends out the first papersheet to the main take-out part 32. The auxiliary take-out part 31 takesout a second paper sheet by suction after the back end of the firstsheet passes the sub air chamber 31 a. Then, the auxiliary take-out part31 sends out the second paper sheet to the main take-out part 32 at aspeed slower than the speed at which the first paper sheet is sent bythe main take-out part 32 toward the sending-out direction B. Thisprovides an interval equal to or larger than the predetermined intervalbetween the first paper sheet and the second paper sheet in thesending-out direction B, thereby eliminating the overlap between thefirst and second paper sheets.

The main take-out part 32 is positioned on the downstream side of theauxiliary take-out part 31 in the sending-out direction B. Referring toFIGS. 5, 6, and 8, the main take-out part 32 includes an air chamber 41,a valve unit 42 integrally provided with the air chamber 41, and thetake-out belt 43 driven by a drive motor (not shown, a step motor, forexample).

The valve unit 42 includes a body block 51 having an opposing face 51Awhich opposes a plurality of paper sheets held by the supply part 2 inthe supply direction A, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 8. Referring to FIGS. 5,6, and 8, the valve unit 42 includes the air chamber 41 formed by arecess 51 a provided on the opposing face 51A. The body block 51 has afirst air hole (negative pressure side air hole) 52 and a second airhole (positive pressure side air hole) 53 which independently penetratethe body block 51 at the recess 51 a. First ends 52 a and 53 a of thefirst and second air holes 52 and 53 are connected to the recess 51 a tobe opened to the inside of the air chamber 41. Thus, the first andsecond air holes 52 and 53 communicate with the inside of the airchamber 41. Referring to FIG. 8, a second end 52 b of the first air hole52 is connected to a negative pressure port 55 a of a vacuum pump 55through a pipe fitting 54 a. A second end 53 b of the second air hole 53is connected to a positive pressure port 55 b of the vacuum pump 55through a pipe fitting 54 b.

Referring to FIG. 8, the body block 51 has a through hole 56intersecting the first and second air holes 52 and 53 at the inside ofthe body block 51 and penetrating the center of the body block 51. Thebody block 51 includes a shaft-shaped valve member 58 inserted throughthe through hole 56 and rotatably supported by bearings 57 a and 57 b.Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the valve member 58 has first and secondcommunication holes 58 a and 58 b respectively having the same size asthe first and second air holes 52 and 53 and penetrating the valvemember 58 in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the valvemember 58. The first and second communication holes 58 a and 58 b areprovided at positions that allow connection to the first and second airholes 52 and 53. The penetration directions of the first and secondcommunication holes 58 a and 58 b intersect with each other at apredetermined angle (90 degrees, for example). Referring to FIG. 7, thevalve member 58 is connected to a drive motor 59 b such as an ACservomotor through a coupling 59 a and rotatably driven by the drivemotor 59 b. Thus, as the valve member 58 is rotatably driven by thedrive motor 59 b, the valve member 58 switches between a first statewhere the first air hole 52 communicates with the first communicationhole 58 a while the second air hole 53 is blocked and a second statewhere the first air hole 52 is blocked while the second air hole 53communicates with the second communication hole 58 b.

The valve member 58 is provided with a sensor 60 detecting a rotationalposition around the rotation axis. The sensor 60 includes a plate-shapedsensor dog 60 a provided integrally with the valve member 58 and firstand second photoelectric sensors 60 b and 60 c. The first photoelectricsensor 60 b is positioned such that the sensor dog 60 a in the firststate blocks light from a light source. The second photoelectric sensor60 c is positioned such that the sensor dog 60 a in the second stateblocks light from the light source. Thus, the first and secondphotoelectric sensors 60 b and 60 c separately detect the first andsecond states switched by the valve member 58.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 8, the valve unit 42 includes arectangular plate-shaped main guide plate 61 attached to the opposingface 51A of the body block 51. The main guide plate 61 guides themovement of the take-out belt 43 toward the sending-out direction B. Themain guide plate 61 has a plurality of first openings 62 and a pluralityof second openings 63. The first openings 62 and the second openings 63communicate with the air chamber 41. The first openings 62 and thesecond openings 63 are positioned with a predetermined interval in thesending-out direction B and also on opposite sides of the guide wall 21b of the supply part 2. Each of a negative pressure and a positivepressure is applied at substantially the same time to the first openings62 and the second openings 63 through the air chamber 41 depending onthe first state and the second state switched by the valve member 58.The negative pressure is lower than atmospheric pressure and thepositive pressure is higher than atmospheric pressure. The abovesubstantially the same time means the same time or within apredetermined time width from the same time.

Referring to FIG. 3, the take-out belt 43 is an endless belt having aplurality of suction holes 43 a formed uniformly over the entire regionand is wound around a plurality of pulleys (not shown) including twopulleys 64 a and 64 b positioned on opposite sides of the valve unit 42in the sending-out direction B. The take-out belt 43 is positioned suchthat at least a partial region of the belt 31 b overlaps the main guideplate 61. The suction holes 43 a of the take-out belt 43 communicateswith the first openings 62 and the second openings 63 of the main guideplate 61 at the region where the belt 43 overlaps the plate 61. As aresult, the first openings 62 of the main guide plate 61 and thetake-out belt 43 constitute the first take-out part 65, and the secondopenings 63 of the main guide plate 61 and the take-out belt 43constitute the second take-out part 66.

In the first take-out part 65, the air chamber 41 applies a negativepressure or a positive pressure to the suction holes 43 a of thetake-out belt 43 through the first openings 62. Also, in the secondtake-out part 66, the air chamber 41 applies a negative pressure or apositive pressure to the suction hole 43 a of the take-out belt 43through the second openings 63. In each of the first take-out part 65and the second take-out part 66, the region of the take-out belt 43overlapping the main guide plate 61 moves toward the sending-outdirection B. In the first take-out part 65, the region of the take-outbelt 43 overlapping the main guide plate 61 is opposed to a plurality ofpaper sheets held by the supply part 2 in the supply direction A.Accordingly, when a negative pressure is applied to the suction holes 43a in the first take-out part 65, the take-out belt 43 takes out, bysuction, a paper sheet supplied by the supply part 2 toward the supplydirection A and sent out by the auxiliary take-out part 31 toward thesending-out direction B. Then, the take-out belt 43 sends out the papersheet taken out by suction toward the sending-out direction B at a speedhigher than the speed at the auxiliary take-out part 31. At that time,the guide wall 21 b of the supply part 2 guides the sending out of thepaper sheet by the take-out belt 43 of the first take-out part 65 towardthe sending-out direction B.

Further, when a negative pressure is applied to the suction holes 43 aof the take-out belt 43 in the second take-out part 66, the take-outbelt 43 takes out, by suction, a paper sheet sent out by the firsttake-out part 65 toward the sending-out direction B beyond the guidewall 21 b of the supply part 2. Then, the take-out belt 43 sends out thepaper sheet taken out by suction toward the sending-out direction B tothe separation part 33.

As shown in FIG. 2, the separation part 33 is positioned on thedownstream side of the guide wall 21 b of the supply part 2 in thesending-out direction B and on the opposite side of the main take-outpart 32 regarding paper sheets sent out by the main take-out part 32toward the sending-out direction B from the main take-out part 32. Theseparation part 33 includes a double feed prevention block 71 opposingthe take-out belt 43 of the main take-out part 32 with a predetermineddistance. The double feed prevention block 71 is made of an elasticmaterial such as urethane rubber (rubber material). As shown in FIG. 9,the double feed prevention block 71 has an arc-shaped end surface 71Afacing the main take-out part 32. The double feed prevention block 71has a suction aperture 72 which is formed on the end surface 71A and towhich a negative pressure is applied by a negative pressure generator(not shown, a vacuum pump, for example). In case where the take-out belt43 of the first take-out part 65 takes out a plurality of sheets at atime, the double feed prevention block 71 stops, by suction, the papersheet closest to the double feed prevention block 71, thereby preventingsimultaneously sending a plurality of paper sheets to the gap correctionpart 7.

The suction aperture 72 of the separation part 33 is positioned on thedownstream side of the upstream side ends of the second openings 63 ofthe second take-out part 66 in the sending-out direction B. As a result,a paper sheet is sent out from the guide wall 21 b of the supply part 2to the separation part 33 toward the sending-out direction B withoutoverlapping another paper sheet and reaches the separation part 33 asthe sheet is sucked by the take-out belt 43 of the second take-out part66.

In the paper sheet handling apparatus 1 of the embodiment, the gapcorrection parts 7 together with various conveyance belts and rollers(not shown) partially constitute a conveyance mechanism 80 conveyingpaper sheets. As shown in FIG. 2, the gap correction part 7 ispositioned on the downstream side of the separation part 33 in thesending-out direction B. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the gap correctionpart 7 includes a sponge roller 81 and a drive roller 82 opposed to eachother across the main conveyance passage 4. The sponge roller 81 is anelastic soft roller and is deformed according to a change in thethickness of a paper sheet being conveyed through the main conveyancepassage 4. The drive roller 82 is rotatably driven by a drive motor (notshown, an AC servomotor, for example) and changes the speed to conveypaper sheets by acceleration and deceleration of the rotation. Thus,when a paper sheet caught between the sponge roller 81 and the driveroller 82 and a paper sheet preceding in the conveyance direction havean interval (gap) smaller than a preset value, the gap correction part 7decelerates the paper sheet conveying speed to widen the interval. Onthe other hand, when a paper sheet caught between the sponge roller 81and the drive roller 82 and a paper sheet preceding in the conveyancedirection have an interval (gap) larger than a preset value, the gapcorrection part 7 accelerates the paper sheet conveying speed to narrowthe interval.

As shown in FIG. 10, the paper sheet taking-out and separating device 10of the embodiment is provided with a plurality of, for example five,shift sensors of first to fifth shift sensors 91 to 95, in a region fromthe downstream side of the guide wall 21 b of the supply part 2 to thegap correction part 7 in the paper sheet sending-out direction B. Thefirst shift sensor 91 is positioned between the guide wall 21 b of thesupply part 2 and the separation part 33. The second to fourth shiftsensors 92 to 94 are positioned in sequence between the separation part33 and the gap correction part 7. The fifth shift sensor 95 ispositioned on the downstream side of the gap correction part 7. Each ofthe first to fifth shift sensors 91 to 95 has a light-emitting part anda light-receiving part opposed to each other. The light-emitting partand the light-receiving part are positioned on opposite sides of themain conveyance passage 4 so that light from the light-emitting partcrosses the main conveyance passage 4. Irradiation light from eachlight-emitting part is received by the corresponding light-receivingpart without any obstruction and is made to be temporarily blocked by apaper sheet being conveyed through the main conveyance passage 4. Withthis, the first to fifth shift sensors 91 to 95 output an OFF signalindicating that a paper sheet is present on the axis of the irradiationlight from the light-emitting part when the reception of the irradiationlight by the light-receiving part is interrupted. On the other hand, thesensors 91 to 95 output an ON signal indicating that a paper sheet isnot present on the axis of the irradiation light from the light-emittingpart when the light-receiving part has received the irradiation light.The first to fifth shift sensors 91 to 95 are connected to the controlpart 1 a. Accordingly, an ON signal and an OFF signal from each of theshift sensors 91 to 95 is input to the control part 1 a.

Hereinafter, the operation of the paper sheet taking-out and separatingdevice 10 of the embodiment will be described. The control part 1 acontrols the switching between the first state and the second state bythe valve member 58 of the main take-out part 32 corresponding to the ONor OFF signal from the first to fifth shift sensors 91 to 95. When atleast any one of the first to fifth shift sensors 91 to 95 has output anON signal, the control part 1 a determines that there is an interval(gap) equal to or larger than the predetermined interval between a papersheet and a following sheet. For example, as shown in the upper view ofFIG. 10, when the first shift sensor 91 has output an ON signal, thecontrol part 1 a determines that a first paper sheet P1 and a followingsecond paper sheet P2 are spaced apart from each other between the guidewall 21 b of the supply part 2 and the separation part 33. In responseto this, the control part 1 a switches from the second state to thefirst state through the valve member 58 and applies a negative pressureto the first openings 62 of the first take-out part 65 and the secondopenings 63 of the second take-out part 66 through the air chamber 41.As a result, the control part 1 a turns the first take-out part 65 andthe second take-out part 66 into the on state which enables the suctionof a paper sheet. Then, the take-out belt 43 of the main take-out part32 starts suctioning the second paper sheet P2 which is then sent outtoward the sending-out direction B.

In addition, when the third shift sensor 93 positioned at the front ofthe conveyance mechanism 80 in the sending-out direction B has output anOFF signal, the control part 1 a determines that a paper sheet hasarrived at a point at which the sheet is passed from the main take-outpart 32 to the conveyance mechanism 80. For example, as shown in thelower view of FIG. 10, when the second paper sheet P2 undergoingsuctioning and sending out by the take-out belt 43 of the main take-outpart 32 reaches a point on the optical axis of the third shift sensor93, the control part 1 a switches from the first state to the secondstate through the valve member 58. With this, the control part 1 aapplies a positive pressure to the first openings 62 of the firsttake-out part 65 and the second openings 63 of the second take-out part66 through the air chamber 41, turning the first and second take-outparts 65 and 66 into the off state which disables the suction of a papersheet. Accordingly, the take-out belt 43 of the main take-out part 32releases the suction of the second paper sheet P2 and passes the secondpaper sheet P2 to the conveyance mechanism 80 on the downstream side. Itis to be noted that, as shown in the lower view of FIG. 10, even if thesecond paper sheet P2 has been taken out with a third paper sheet P3overlapping the second paper sheet P2 by the take-out belt 43 of themain take-out part 32, the sending out of the third paper sheet P3,which is closer to the separation part 33, is suspended by theseparation part 33. The third paper sheet P3 will be sent out by thetake-out belt 43 of the main take-out part 32 after the second papersheet P2 is passed to the conveyance mechanism 80 and an interval equalto or larger than the predetermined interval is formed between thesheets P2 and P3.

According to the above described embodiment, because of the first andsecond take-out parts 65 and 66 positioned spaced apart from each otheron opposite sides of the guide wall 21 b with a predetermined distancetherebetween in the paper sheet sending-out direction B, it isappropriately prevented that a plurality of paper sheets are sent out inan overlapping manner. That is, a paper sheet in the supply part 2 istaken out as it is sucked by the first take-out part 65 at a point onthe upstream side of the guide wall 21 b in the sending-out direction B.Accordingly, even if a plurality of paper sheets are stacked and placedas they are not aligned along the guide wall 21 b and a forefront papersheet is misaligned to the upstream side of the guide wall 21 b, onlythe forefront paper sheet is appropriately sucked by the first take-outpart 65. Further, because of the first and second take-out parts 65 and66 positioned spaced apart from each other on opposite sides of theguide wall 21 b with a predetermined distance therebetween in the papersheet sending-out direction B, buckling of paper sheets and conveyanceproblems are prevented. That is, after a paper sheet is sent out by thefirst take-out part 65 to the downstream side of the guide wall 21 b inthe sending-out direction B, the sheet is sucked by the second take-outpart 66 to be sent out toward the sending-out direction B. With this,even if a paper sheet is sucked by the separation part on the downstreamside of the guide wall 21 b in the sending-out direction B, the secondtake-out part 66 appropriately keeps sending out the paper sheet towardthe sending-out direction B.

Further, because the second openings 63 of the second take-out part 66has the ends positioned on the upstream side of the suction aperture 72of the separation part 33 in the sending-out direction B, buckling ofpaper sheets and conveyance problems are prevented. That is, after apaper sheet is sent out toward the sending-out direction B from theguide wall 21 b of the supply part 2 toward the separation part 33, thesheet reaches the separation part 33 as the sheet is sucked by thesecond take-out part 66, which appropriately keeps sending out the sheettoward the sending-out direction B. Further, because of the first andsecond take-out parts 65 and 66 turned, substantially at the same time,into the on state which enables the suction of a paper sheet, sendingout paper sheets toward the sending-out direction B is appropriatelykept, and buckling of paper sheets and conveyance problems areprevented. Further, because of the first and second take-out parts 65and 66 switched from the on state to the off state substantially at thesame time when a front end of a paper sheet in the sending-out directionB reaches the front of the conveyance mechanism 80, a paper sheet issmoothly passed from the main take-out part 32 to the conveyancemechanism 80. Further, because of the first and second take-out parts 65and 66 switched from the off state to the on state substantially at thesame time when any two paper sheets adjacent one behind the other in thesending-out direction B have an interval therebetween equal to or largerthan the predetermined interval, a plurality of paper sheets are sentout toward the sending-out direction B successively at suitable time.

Further, because of the first to fifth shift sensors 91 to 95 detectingpassage of a paper sheet on the main conveyance passage 4, the first andsecond take-out parts 65 and 66 are switched between the on state andthe off state at suitable time. Further, because of the first and secondtake-out parts 65 and 66 communicating with the single common airchamber 41, it is possible to simplify the device configuration forswitching the first and second take-out parts 65 and 66 between the onstate and the off state substantially at the same time.

Hereinafter, a first modification will be described. In the abovedescribed embodiment, the plurality of suction holes 43 a is uniformlyformed on the entire take-out belt 43, but the take-out belt 43 is notlimited to this. As shown in FIG. 11, a take-out belt 43 of the firstmodification has a plurality of suction holes 43 a which are formed onlyon partial regions with predetermined distance in the length directionof the take-out belt 43. As shown in FIG. 12, a valve unit 42 of thefirst modification includes a main guide plate 61 having a plurality ofthird openings 99 communicating with the air chamber 41. Each of thethird openings 99 has a shape formed by integrating the first opening 62and the second opening 63 described above.

Hereinafter, a second modification will be described. In the aboveembodiment, the first openings 62 of the first take-out part 65 and thesecond openings 63 of the second take-out part 66 communicate with asingle air chamber 41, but the present invention is not limited to this.The first openings 62 of the first take-out part 65 and the secondopenings 63 of the second take-out part 66 may communicate withdifferent air chambers from each other. In this case, the control part 1a may control the switching between negative pressure and positivepressure to be applied to each of the different air chamberssubstantially at the same time. Thus, the control part 1 a synchronizethe operations of the first and second take-out parts 65 and 66, namely,to execute and stop sucking a paper sheet similarly to the foregoingembodiment.

Hereinafter, a third modification will be described. In the aboveembodiment, the first and second take-out parts 65 and 66 are switchedbetween the on state and the off state substantially at the same time,but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the firstand second take-out parts 65 and 66 may be switched between the on stateand the off state at different times in synchronization with each other.

According to at least one of the foregoing embodiment and modifications,because of the first and second take-out parts 65 and 66 positionedspaced apart from each other on opposite sides of the guide wall 21 bwith a predetermined distance therebetween in the paper sheetsending-out direction B, it is appropriately prevented that a pluralityof paper sheets are sent out in an overlapping manner and buckling andconveyance problems are prevented. Further, because the second openings63 of the second take-out part 66 have the ends positioned on theupstream side of the suction aperture 72 of the separation part 33 inthe sending-out direction B, buckling of paper sheets and conveyanceproblems are prevented.

The embodiment and modifications of the present invention has beendescribed, but they are provided for the purpose of example and are notintended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiment andmodifications may be embodied in various other forms, and variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiment andmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended tocover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope andspirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A paper sheet taking-out and separating devicecomprising: an auxiliary take-out part including a suction belt, thesuction belt being configured to suck a paper sheet, facing the suctionbelt, out of a plurality of stacked paper sheets and send out the papersheet sucked to a sending-out direction at a predetermined speed; a maintake-out part provided on a downstream side of the auxiliary take-outpart in the sending-out direction and including a take-out belt, thetake-out belt being configured to suck a paper sheet, facing take-outbelt, out of the plurality of stacked paper sheets and send out thepaper sheet sucked to the sending-out direction at a speed faster thanthe predetermined speed; a supply part including a flat bottom wall, aguide wall provided to rise substantially vertically from the bottomwall and a back-up plate, wherein the plurality of stacked paper sheetsare to be placed on the flat bottom wall so that a front paper sheet ofthe plurality of stacked paper sheets faces both the suction belt of theauxiliary take-out part and the take-out belt of the main take-out partand so that an edge, in the sending-out direction, of each paper sheetis in contact with the guide wall, wherein the back-up plate isconfigured to push a rear paper sheet of the plurality of stacked papersheets to the suction belt of the auxiliary take-out part and thetake-out belt of the main take-out part, wherein moving of the pluralityof stacked paper sheets to the suction belt of the auxiliary take-outpart and the take-out belt of the main take-out part is guided by theguide wall, and wherein the guide wall defines a first take-out part anda second take-out part on the downstream side of the first take-out partin the sending-out direction by dividing the main take-out part into twoparts; and a separation part provided so as to face the second take-outpart and including a suction aperture on a surface of the separationpart facing the second take-out part, wherein the separation part isconfigured to separate two overlapping paper sheets which have beensimultaneously taken out and sent out by the first take-out part bysucking one paper sheet closer to the separation part, out of the twooverlapping paper sheets simultaneously sent out.
 2. The paper sheettaking-out and separating device according to claim 1, wherein an end ofthe second take-out part on an upstream side in the sending-outdirection is positioned on the upstream side of the separation part inthe sending-out direction.
 3. The paper sheet taking-out and separatingdevice according to claim 1, wherein the first take-out part and thesecond take-out part are turned into an on state which enables suctionof the paper sheet, substantially at the same time.
 4. The paper sheettaking-out and separating device according to claim 3, furthercomprising a conveyance mechanism positioned on the downstream side ofthe separation part in the sending-out direction, the conveyancemechanism being configured to convey the paper sheet sent out by thesecond take-out part toward a conveyance direction, wherein the firsttake-out part and the second take-out part are switched from the onstate to an off state which disables the suction of the paper sheet,substantially at a same time when a front end, in the sending-outdirection, of the paper sheet which has been sent out by the secondtake-out part reaches a front of the conveyance mechanism.
 5. The papersheet taking-out and separating device according to claim 4, wherein thefirst take-out part and the second take-out part are switched from theoff state to the on state substantially at a same time when any two ofthe paper sheets adjacent one behind the other in the sending-outdirection between the guide wall and the conveyance mechanism have aninterval equal to or larger than a predetermined value therebetween. 6.The paper sheet taking-out and separating device according to claim 4,further comprising a sensor which detects passage of the paper sheetthrough a predetermined point between the guide wall and the conveyancemechanism in the sending-out direction, wherein the first take-out partand the second take-out part are turned into one of the on state and theoff state corresponding to the passage of the paper sheet detected bythe sensor.
 7. The paper sheet taking-out and separating deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the first take-out part and the secondtake-out part are connected to a single chamber to which a negativepressure is applied by a pressure pump.
 8. The paper sheet taking-outand separating device according to claim 1, wherein a width of thesuction belt of the auxiliary take-out part is narrower than a width ofthe take-out belt of the main take-out part.
 9. A paper sheet handlingapparatus comprising: a paper sheet taking-out and separating deviceincluding: an auxiliary take-out part including a suction belt, thesuction belt being configured to suck a paper sheet, facing the suctionbelt, out of a plurality of stacked paper sheets and send out the papersheet sucked to a sending-out direction at a predetermined speed; a maintake-out part provided on a downstream side of the auxiliary take-outpart in the sending-out direction and including a take-out belt, thetake-out belt being configured to suck a paper sheet, facing thetake-out belt, out of the plurality of stacked paper sheets and send outthe paper sheet sucked to the sending-out direction, at a speed fasterthan the predetermined speed; a supply part including a flat bottomwall, a guide wall provided to rise substantially vertically from thebottom wall and a back-up plate, wherein the plurality of stacked papersheets are to be placed on the flat bottom wall so that a front papersheet of the plurality of stacked paper sheets faces both the suctionbelt of the auxiliary take-out part and the take-out belt of the maintake-out part and so that an edge, in the sending-out direction, of eachpaper sheet is in contact with the guide wall, wherein the back-up plateis configured to push a rear paper sheet of the plurality of stackedpaper sheets to the suction belt of the auxiliary take-out part and thetake-out belt of the main take-out part, wherein moving of the pluralityof stacked paper sheets to the suction belt of the auxiliary take-outpart and the take-out belt of the main take-out part is guided by theguide wall, and wherein the guide wall defines a first take-out part anda second take-out part on the downstream side of the first take-out partin the sending-out direction by dividing the main take-out part into twoparts; and a separation part provided so as to face the second take-outpart and including a suction aperture on a surface of the separationpart facing the second take-out part, wherein the separation partseparates two overlapping paper sheets which have been simultaneouslytaken out and sent out by the first take-out part by sucking one papersheet closer to the separation part, out of the two overlapping papersheets simultaneously sent out; and a classification unit provided onthe downstream side of the separation part in the sending-out direction,the classification unit classifying the paper sheet.